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You're assuming that the ratio is disproportionate because people are being pushed out of the industry against their will. Some people get burned out, some peop

by pault 6y ago

You're assuming that the ratio is disproportionate because people are being pushed out of the industry against their will. Some people get burned out, some people retire early, and some transition into management or start their own company. The industry has grown exponentially in the 20-40 years those people have been working. If the industry now is 10x the size it was in 2000 (arbitrary number), then 40 year old developers should be 10% of the workforce, even discounting any other factors. I don't see anything alarming here. I am a 40+ year old developer, and I've never seen anyone my age leave the industry because they were victims of age discrimination. The opposite in fact. I have never had so much clout during job hunting than I do now, with 20 years of on the job experience. Anecdata sure, but that survey is not sound, and it does not attempt to discover whether older developers are actually unable to find work, or what other factors (other than the obvious massive industry growth) might contribute to the imbalance.

_qulr 6y ago
> Some people get burned out I'd say if management routinely burns out programmers and prevents them from having long careers, that in itself is a form of age discrimination. > If the industry now is 10x the size it was in 2000 (arbitrary number), then 40 year old developers should be 10% of the workforce, even discounting any other factors. IMO this seems to be an ageist assumption. If an industry is growing, why should the newcomers to the industry be overwhelmingly young? Why shouldn't "older" people join in large numbers too, especially if there's a lot of money to be made? I personally switched careers and didn't get my first tech job until I was over 35. > I have never had so much clout during job hunting than I do now, with 20 years of on the job experience. What do you make of the pervasive "quiz show" style job interviews that favor recent CS grads and discount job experience? In any case, I'd say there's more empirical support for my position than the claim I was arguing against, that people work 80 hours per week and then retire early because they "value their time". Just not their current time, only their time later in life (if they live that long), I guess.
- hodgesrm 6y ago
  > I'd say if management routinely burns out programmers and prevents them from having long careers, that in itself is a form of age discrimination. It's not management though that may be a part. Building complex systems with cutting (i.e., bleeding) edge technology is hard. A lot of projects fail, often with career consequences for the people in them. If you experience 2-3 of these you start to look around to see if there's an easier way to make a living.

by pault 6y ago

_qulr 6y ago

> Some people get burned out I'd say if management routinely burns out programmers and prevents them from having long careers, that in itself is a form of age discrimination. > If the industry now is 10x the size it was in 2000 (arbitrary number), then 40 year old developers should be 10% of the workforce, even discounting any other factors. IMO this seems to be an ageist assumption. If an industry is growing, why should the newcomers to the industry be overwhelmingly young? Why shouldn't "older" people join in large numbers too, especially if there's a lot of money to be made? I personally switched careers and didn't get my first tech job until I was over 35. > I have never had so much clout during job hunting than I do now, with 20 years of on the job experience. What do you make of the pervasive "quiz show" style job interviews that favor recent CS grads and discount job experience? In any case, I'd say there's more empirical support for my position than the claim I was arguing against, that people work 80 hours per week and then retire early because they "value their time". Just not their current time, only their time later in life (if they live that long), I guess.

hodgesrm 6y ago
> I'd say if management routinely burns out programmers and prevents them from having long careers, that in itself is a form of age discrimination. It's not management though that may be a part. Building complex systems with cutting (i.e., bleeding) edge technology is hard. A lot of projects fail, often with career consequences for the people in them. If you experience 2-3 of these you start to look around to see if there's an easier way to make a living.